Things You'll Need:
- Familiarity with basic yoga postures
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Step 1
Understand the different types of strength. Strength can be thought of in terms of endurance and power. Endurance is the ability to continue doing a specific activity for long periods. Power is the strength to fully carry out a specific movement, such as lifting a heavy weight or completing a push-up. Most typical yoga practices will help you to build endurance as you hold the postures for several breaths. The more advanced your practice the longer you hold the postures. However there are also ways of practicing yoga that will also help you to build muscular strength. To build muscular strength you need to move your joints and muscles through their full range of motion against some kind of resistance. In yoga that resistance would be your own body weight.
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Step 2
Practice Vinyasa yoga. Vinayasa yoga means flowing yoga. In this form you flow continuously from one posture to the other. As you move through the postures you are using muscular strength to hold your balance and transition yourself from one posture to the next. This can be done with both basic yoga postures and advanced yoga postures. For leg strength try flowing from Warrior One pose, right into Warrior Two pose, right into Triangle pose and then Chair pose. Hold each posture for only three to five deep breaths and with each exhale go deeper into the posture. Then go into this sequence on the other side.
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Step 3
Incorporate multiple rounds of Salute to the Sun. Salute to the Sun works the entire body and can become quite vigorous. You can also incorporate the postures listed in step two into Salute to the Sun. This means you are lifting yourself in and out of various postures which will strengthen your muscles. For example in one round of Salute to the Sun after you step into lunge position lift up to Warrior One pose. Then lower the hands back down to the floor and complete the rest of the Salute to the Sun sequence. Repeat on the other side. You can continue in this manner incorporating various yoga postures into each round.
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Step 4
Use Chaturanga Dandasana. Instead of lifting into cobra pose or sphinx use upward dog pose. This is a great posture for building upper body strength. Start in plank position. Keeping your body very straight, bend your elbows and lower towards the floor. Keep the elbows close to the body. Lower as close as you can to the floor without actually coming all the way down. Before the body touches the floor, straighten your arms and lift the upper body into cobra pose. The toes should be curled under and the entire body off the floor. Only your hands and toes are on the floor. This posture can be incorporated in Salute to the Sun in place of cobra or sphinx or during anytime you are flowing from one posture to the next.
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Step 5
Do Down Dog push-ups. This is another flow that can strengthen the upper body. Start in Down Dog. Then bend the elbows keeping them close to the body and lower down as if you were trying to touch the top of your head to the floor. Maintain a straight spine throughout. Then push back up to Down Dog.
